Call Donald Trump whatever you like. But don’t downplay his chances of becoming America’s 45th president as he winds up his scorched-earth run to the Republican Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in July. And, yes, he could confound pollsters yet again to become America’s next chief executive, Washington, D.C., lobbyist David Crow told us 84 green industry journalists.

Crow, in an hour-long presentation, seemed almost in awe as he recounted how Trump dispatched 17 primary challengers (including eight state governors or former governors), while remaining bulletproof to the $75 million spent on anti-Trump ads.

“He treated the primary race like The Apprentice and the other candidates did not know how to deal with it,” said Crow, who founded D.C. Legislative and Regulatory Services in 1991 and has worked on six presidential campaigns. “Nobody in the city understands him. They don’t know how to connect with him.”

Crow said Trump tapped into the frustration felt by millions of Americans who lost their jobs or saw their wages decrease as a result of the 2008 recession. Trump supporters also view trade agreements signed in Washington the past 25 years as largely responsible for destroying 34 percent of all U.S. manufacturing jobs.

“They’re feeling like nobody has their backs,” said Crow.

Adding to their anger is the bitter divisiveness on Capitol Hill, which the lobbyist blamed on both President Obama and the Tea Party.

The veteran lobbyist admitted he whiffed on Trump finishing at the top of the Republican primary field. He avoided making a prediction about the November presidential election in spite of polls showing Democrat Hillary Clinton with a double-digit lead among voters.

“This will be the meanest, ugliest presidential campaign in all history,” Crow offered instead.

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